By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Milieu Hanover had to battle a combination of a sloppy track, a first-over journey, ad favored pacesetter Scarlett Hanover, but she proved herself much the best in the $17,500 featured distaff pace on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, winning by three lengths in 1:52.2.
 
Jim Pantaleano kept the winning daughter of Betting Line off the early battle, which saw Scarlett Hanover emerge on top past a :26.4 quarter. Going onto a strong headwind, Scarlett Hanover took a breather to the :55.3 half, but then had to sharpen the speed as Milieu Hanover steadily made up ground on her to the 1:23.2 three-quarters.
 
Instead of a classic far turn duel between two favorites, the battle the rest of the way was all Milieu Hanover as she drew away, with Audra Day clearing from the pocket to get second ahead of Major Battle, with the favorite fading to fourth. For Milieu Hanover, it was her second win in a row, both over off tracks at Pocono, and she increased her earnings to $251,128 for trainer Nicholas Devita and the ownership of Devita Racing Stable Inc., David Hamm, and Christopher Giaccio.
 
The $17,000 distaff co-feature also featured a repeater over an off track in the So Surreal mare Think Of Galaxies, a heavy favorite who controlled the pace and scooted clear by 3¾ lengths in 1:53.2. The meet’s leading driver and trainer, Matt Kakaley and Ron Burke, are the team behind the winner of $262,165, who is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC in partnership with Peter Kleinhans.
 
Anthony Napolitano, who steered five winners on the Saturday Pocono card, kept the hot hands on Monday by bringing five more horses back to Victory Lane.
 
The Pocono racing week wraps up on Tuesday with a 1:30 post time. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Liberty Bell stakes series, for fast Pennsylvania-sired two and three-year-olds, began a run of two stakes a day for the eight divisions on Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with two-year-old fillies on both gaits contesting three $30,000 events.
 
Driver Simon Allard, who was in the right place at the right time all day (usually on or near the lead) in winning six races, combined with trainer Jessica Fallon to win two of the trio of contests for trotters. The faster winner was the Father Patrick – Gin And Lindy miss Lindys Irishcream, who went right to the lead and trotted strongly to victory in 1:55.4, a new mark. Since coming to Pennsylvania from Ontario four starts ago, Lindys Irishcream has three victories, all in stakes, for owners Tim Klemencic and Blake MacIntosh.
 
Team Allard/Fallon/Klemencic/MacIntosh opened the card by winning with the International Moni – Miss Anthem distaff Foolish Moni, who also used pacesetting tactics in a 1:57.3 triumph. Like her stablemate a recent traveler from Ontario to Pennsylvania, Foolish Moni has now posted two triumphs in three tries in the Keystone State. Foolish Moni went off as the second choice; Lindys Irishcream was the favorite in her event.
 
The third trotting section did not hold up to form, as 13-1 shot Planter’s Punch saved much ground during a duel among several horses, then was moved clear by driver Tyler Miller and took a new mark of 1:57.3. Team Orange Crush, who won two of the big-money finals in the Kentucky program during the afternoon, also posted a victory on “the home front,” as Tyler’s mom Julie Miller trains the daughter of Bar Hopping – Cloud Dancer for Willow Oak Ranch.
 
The pacing sections were, like the trotting races, won by a favorite, a second choice, and a longshot. Both gaits had victories by a half length and three-quarters of a length; the third trotting division produced a 1¾ lengths margin, while the other pacing cut was won by “only” 1½ lengths.
 
But the 1½ length winner, the Captaintreacherous – My Little Delight filly My Little Captain, looked like she could have won by a bigger distance, as driver Art Stafford Jr. only gave her one tap with the whip in the stretch to ensure her front-end 1:53.4 victory. My Little Captain, who was a heavy favorite, now has five wins and two seconds in seven starts, three of them Pennsylvania Sire Stakes triumphs, for trainer Andrew Stafford and EVM Racing LLC.
 
Belterra was a 1-1 second choice in her Liberty Bell event, but she proved the crowd wrong by going to the lead early and staying strong while taking a mark of 1:53.1. This was the third win in six races for the Stay Hungry – Studio One filly, who was driven by George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Robert Cleary and Royal Wire Products Inc.
 
The third pacing section produced the mutuel upset – although the long-memoried knew that driver Victor Kirby and trainer Nifty Norman have on several occasions combined to produce longshot winners, going back to Bee Forever winning the 2020 Valley Victory and as recently as August 25 at Philly with $109.60 upsetter Romantic Evening. And indeed here was the Heston Blue Chip – Moonlight Spin miss Romantic Evening again, having raced only once since her bombshell triumph, again lighting up the board at $49.40 in her patented come-from-behind style. The filly took a new mark of 1:52.3 in winning for Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Bottom Line Racing LLC.


The rest of the Liberty Bell stakes schedule will be the features for next week as Harrah’s goes to its three-day-a-week fall schedule: two-year-old trotters on Thursday, freshman colt pacers and sophomore filly trotters on Friday, and then three-year-old pacers next Sunday. There also will be an $1811.83 carryover into Thursday’s first race Pick-4 bet. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The $17,500 featured trot at the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Saturday afternoon was won by the sophomore Chapter Seven colt Justice in 1:53.2, defeating older foes in a very impressive manner.
 
Justice settled in fourth in a hotly-disputed :26.4 quarter, then came out raw to tackle the leading favorite P L Notsonice after the :56 half, drawing alongside the frontstepper by the 1:24.2 three-quarters. Despite the two-move journey, it was Justice who ruled through the stretch, winning by three lengths over the chalk for trainer Åke Svanstedt, whose Åke Svanstedt Inc. co-owns the winner of $300,880 with Little E LLC, Torbjorn Swahn Inc., and Myfab Inc.
 
Justice was driven by Sarah Svanstedt, who also won with Delayed Hanover, a son of Southwind Frank who rallied up the inside to photo out Abruzzo in 1:54.2 while winning a $17,000 event. Whenever Sarah gets the Team Svanstedt assignment to drive at Pocono, she must think, “Jag kom jag såg jag erövrade,” Swedish for “I came, I saw, I conquered,” as she has now won nine times sulkysitting at Pocono this year in but eleven starts.
 
The pacing co-feature, also for a purse of $17,500, saw Da Delightful secure the pocket in a blistering :26 opener, follow along behind pacesetting Whitecookie in contested fractions of :55 and 1:22.2, then move out and pace clear by 3¼ lengths in 1:50. The son of Bettor’s Delight, an earner of $331,789 and a winner of two straight, was driven by Braxten Boyd for owner/trainer Mark Silva.
 
Anthony Napolitano was the driving star of the afternoon, visiting Victory Lane five times. Anthony was quick to figure out the day’s bias against closers circling wide, scoring four times on the engine and once from the pocket to boost himself into third in the local standings behind Matt Kakaley and Anthony’s brother George.
 
Pocono is currently operating on its fall basic schedule of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, so the next live racing at the mountain oval will be on Monday at 1:30 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Ruthless Hanover got to set a moderate tempo in the $22,500 handicap pace for males at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, then went on to a 1¾ length triumph over J M Mandamin in 1:50.
 
In the vast majority of the Standardbred world, fractions of :26.2, :55.1, and 1:22 would of course not be considered “moderate.” But when you consider that in his last start, while finishing second to Allywag Hanover at Philly, Ruthless Hanover passed the poles in :25, :51.4, and 1:19.1, the victorious Somebeachsomewhere gelding must have thought himself out for a training mile today. George Napolitano Jr. drove the winner of $297,173 for the brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere.
 
In her previous race Majorca N had upset defending Horse of the Year Test Of Faith, but in Friday’s $22,500 companion handicap feature for pacing females, after she put up splits of :26.4, :55.4, and 1:23.2 she was caught from the pocket by the Irish-bred Oakwoodanabella IR in a 1:50.4 mile. The daughter of Foreclosure N pushed her bankroll for owner Denis Copse to $208,305 (not bad an increase of profitability rate when you consider in her first lifetime start, which she won, she earned $461), and she was handled by Tim Tetrick in the 1½ length victory as trainer Jim King Jr. took her into his stable.
 
Tetrick, the meet’s leading driver, had four victories in all before leaving to race stakes horses in northern New Jersey Friday night; after he left, a horse he co-owned was a winner.
 
Sunday will mark the start of a “mini-Grand Circuit” with a pair of Liberty Bell stakes, a late-season series giving an extra opportunity for Pennsylvania-sired freshmen and sophomores a chance to go for good money. Two-year-old fillies of both gaits will go in three divisions of their respective events, with a pair of Liberty Bell races also scheduled for next Thursday, Friday, and Sunday at Harrah’s. Program pages are or will be available at 
https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Lexus Kody made his Harrah’s Philly debut in the $15,300 featured trot On Thursday afternoon and immediately established himself as a horse to keep an eye on  as he won easily while taking a new mark of 1:52.4. 
 
The victorious Archangel gelding left Toronto and came over the border to Yonkers, where he made a break while on the lead, but Thursday there were no errors as driver Simon Allard sent him to the lead just before the :28.1 opener, rattled off middle fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.3, and was strong to the winner in defeating 46-1 shot Epos Ostervang DK by 4½ lengths. The Ron Burke trainee, now with earnings of $196,447, is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC in partnership with Phillip Collura.
 
In a $14,000 co-feature trot, the Muscle Hill mare Chablis stepped up in company but still could post her second straight victory, here in 1:56.1. The big :57.1 middle half trotting by Chablis exhausted her rivals, with pocketsitter College Tuition 2¼ lengths behind and just edging out Donzel Hanover for the deuce. Corey Callahan drove Chablis for trainer Jonas Czernyson and Consus Racing Stable Inc.
 
Callahan came back to take the day’s leading fast-class trot, worth $13,000 with the E L Titan gelding Hayek in 1:56, Hayek was in an unusual spot for a Harrah’s victory – third-over – but Callahan kept him behind cover until going four-wide near the top of the lane, and the winner of $382,296 took it from there, finishing 2¾ lengths ahead of late-clearing Mister Boinga while boosting his seasonal earnings into six figures for Per Engblom, the meet’s leading trainer, and the partnership of Evan Katz and Frank Canzone.
 
“Captain Corey” led all drivers at Philly on Thursday with four driving successes.
 
Friday’s card at Philly will feature two $22,500 handicap paces, one for males and the other for females; Sunday will mark the start of four straight cards of Liberty Bell Series stakes actions for Pennsylvania-sired horses, with two-year-old fillies of each gait going postward in three divisions. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Although she has earnings of $160,619, Ebbies Lady has only three lifetime wins – and all of them have come at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, including the $15,000 trotting feature on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The sophomore daughter of Southwind Frank, trained and driven by Åke Svanstedt for Åke Svanstedt Inc. and Young Guns, yielded to Beer Cheese approaching the :27.3 quarter and was content to sit in the pocket through the :57.3 half. When horses moved outside and advanced down the backstretch, Svanstedt gave Ebbies Lady the green light, and she trotted to the lead before the 1:25.4 three-quarters, extending her margin from 1¼ lengths at that call to four lengths at the top of the stretch and ten lengths at the finish of the 1:54.4 mile despite going into a stretch headwind that intensified during the latter parts of the card.
 
Svanstedt was one of five drivers on the card who posted two victories, with the others being Braxten Boyd, Matt Kakaley, Anthony Napolitano, and Ridge Warren. However, Svanstedt was the only trainer on the day to harness a pair of horses who visited Victory Lane.
 
Pocono is now racing its basic fall schedule of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The spotlight was on distaff pacers on Monday afternoon at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono as the mountain track commenced its basic fall schedule of live harness racing.
 
The $17,000 top pace for classclimbing fillies and mares went to the So Surreal mare Think Of Galaxies, who got a walk in the park to the half in :57.3 and then sprinted home in :55 - :27.1 to complete a mile in 1:52.3 over a track that had been rerated to “good +1” midcard. The track’s leading driver and trainer, Matt Kakaley and Ron Burke, combined behind the winner as she lifted her career earnings to $253,665 for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Peter Kleinhans.
 
Kakaley had a driving triple on Monday, as did Jim Pantaleano, who was behind the Betting Line mare Milieu Hanover as she controlled the pace en route to a 1:52 victory (also over the “good” going) in the $14,500 co-feature. The winner of $242,378 is trained by Nicholas Devita for Devita Racing Stable Inc., David Hamm, and Christopher Giaccio.
 
From now to the end of the 2022 Pocono meet on Saturday, November 19, The Downs will host live racing on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. Program pages for all Pocono races are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/downsmsppps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
GRATZ PA – It’s not unusual for two-year-olds to turn in spectacular performances on the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes circuit – 14 of the year’s 17 divisional track records this year have been notched by the frosh – but it’s unusual to see two-year-olds go outright faster than their three-year-old contemporaries. But such was the case as the Fairgrounds in this eastcentral Pennsylvania borough during Saturday and Sunday’s two-day Sire Stakes stand, as the temperature dropped ten degrees, there was moisture in the area, and the track variant was moved from “+2” to “+3” between the two cards.
 
The star of the meet was the International Moni – Cantab Cabela freshman trotting miss Quarantina, who toured the Gratz twicearound in 2:00.1. That was not only a Gratz track record for two-year-old trotters of either sex, but it also was the fastest mile ever turned in by a two-year-old trotting filly at a Pennsylvania fair, eclipsing the 2:00.3 mark set by Nicole Hanover in 2017 at the same oval.
 
Quarantina is owned by trainer/driver Todd Schadel and his wife Christine; the Schadel barn would also send out the other winners in this group’s “A” PaFSS action: Dancinwiththangels in 2:03.3 for her fifth straight win, and Cocktails To Go, now a winner of three consecutive races after a 2:04.4 triumph.
 
Fastest mile of the entire meet came Saturday from another in the Schadel barn, the Captaintreacherous – Well What’s New pacing gelding Captaincountrystar, who took a new mark of 1:58.3 for Schadel, Andy Miller Stable Inc., and Wallace Townsend Jr. A winner of three in a row at the fairs, Captaincountrystar now has three 2:00 miles to his credit on the circuit, second only to the five posted by three-year-old Buchannon Hanover (more on him in a minute).
 
Other freshmen turning in 2:00 clockings were Little Lady J, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance – Monet’s Lilly who tallied in 1:59.3 for driver Dave Brickell and trainer/owner Mitchell York, and the Betting Line – Parlee Beach gelding Rusty Beach, home in 2:00 for driver Eric Neal and trainer Richard Dunn, the latter co-owner with MBC Stables LLC.
 
As noted, the conditions for Sunday’s racing were hardly made for speedy miles, yet a sub-2:00 effort was achieved by the Sweet Lou pacing filly Sweet And Feisty, a 1:59.3 winner for Team Brickell/York. Two horses achieved their ninth fair wins of the season, tops among all competitors: the aforementioned Always B Miki colt Buchannon Hanover, winner of nine in a row who needed only 2:01.1 to triumph here, and the Explosive Matters filly Heart Matters, winner of all nine of her fair starts after a 2:03 score.
 
Both Buchannon Hanover and Heart Matters come from the barn of Todd Schadel, and no genius is required to see that his stable generated the most driving and training wins for Todd at Gratz. Aaron Johnson was second among drivers with four visits to Victory Lane, while Mitchell York was next in line on the training side having harnessed three winners.
 
The Pennsylvania Fair harness action stays right at Gratz for their two-day meet during the fair proper this coming Sunday and Monday; stops at Bloomsburg and then for a two-day meet at Meadville complete the fairs action for the year in the Keystone State. The top pointearners throughout the summer will earn their way into their $25,000 divisional Championships, to be held Friday, October 7 at The Meadows.         

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Harrah’s Philadelphia raised its uppermost price for claiming horses from $25,000 to $30,000 for Sunday’s card, and the twin features were $13,000 pacing handicaps for horses valued between $25,000 to $30,000. One division was held before, and one after, a midcard rainstorm that changed the track condition from “fast” to “sloppy.”
 
Before the moisture came, Bellows Binge was a top-class winner in 1:52.2. Montrell Teague yielded for the pocket with the Bettor’s Delight gelding, sat calmly and then was able to find room up the inside just as the outer tiers started go by the leader at the top of the stretch. The rally of Bellows Binge secured a half-length victory over a closing Hundie N for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Robert Manis while raising his career earnings to $337,080.
 
The other feature division went only a tick slower despite the track going over to “sloppy,” with the Yankee Cruiser gelding Yankee Osborne also using a pocket journey as a means to success. Driver Braxten Boyd did not choose to wait for an inner stretch path, but moved Yankee Osborne, now a winner of $258.503, outside on the far turn to challenge leading Major Bean and then sail by that one by 2¼ lengths for trainer Marc Mosher and owner Jerry Zollo.
 
Yankee Osborne (for $27,000) was one of four horses claimed out of this race, with the new owners in aggregate splashing out $113,250 on the race. The totals for claiming on the day – 12 horses changing hands for $257,000 – both represented seasonal highs at the southeast Pennsylvania oval.
 
Simon Allard, Braxten Boyd, and George Napolitano Jr. all enjoyed three victories on the dank afternoon.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia is now in the fall phase of its basic schedule, with racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40. This coming Sunday the popular Liberty Bell stakes series for PA-sired horses begins with events for freshman fillies of both gaits. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Covered Bridge was assigned the outside post in the field of seven in the $16,200 featured pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday afternoon, coming off of three out-of-town victories. However, the crowd let him go at 7-1, but he still could get by favored Pyro by a nose in 1:49.2.
 
Driver Simon Allard and trainer Ron Burke have been a hot pairing in eastern Pennsylvania lately, and Allard had the Burke trainee firing out early, reaching the top near the eighth pole. Covered Bridge then yielded near the :26.2 quarter to Pyro, who went on to set middle fractions of :54.4 and 1:21.3 unchallenged, with second choice Vettel N choosing an inside route. Through the stretch Covered Bridge charged up the inside and just took the measure of Pyro, while Vettel N hunted fruitlessly for a seam which didn’t develop until too late. 
 
Covered Bridge is an American Ideal gelding who has won $114,995 this year and $541,145 lifetime. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby, and Mortgage Boys Stable.
 
Lyons Steel also broke the 1:50 barrier at the riverside oval on Friday with a 1:49.2 victory, as did the 1:49.4 winners Dealer’s Table and Pat McGarry A.
 
The American Harness Drivers Club for amateur horsemen held a $15,000 Final after its summerlong pacing participation at Philly. 1-1 favorite (by $60) Warrawee Total came uncovered against 1-1 pacesetter Needless To Say, and it was Warrawee Total who proved the strongest late for driver Tony Beltrami, with closing Big Bad Bill three-quarters of a length back in the 1:54 mile, while Needless To Say faded to third. Beltrami thus earned bragging rights in the AHDC with a gelded son of American Ideal trained by Eddie Sager and owned by the trainer’s The Right Move Racing LLC.
 
Tim Tetrick continued his iron grip on the driving victory lead at Harrah’s, adding four more on the Friday card. Also dominating the proceedings has been a strong front-end bias: during the last four local cards’ 57 races, 37 of the winners have had the lead just past the half, 11 were in the pocket, and 9 came first-over. No one else has won from any other position on the racetrack.
 
With Pocono closed for just this weekend, Harrah’s Philly tried adding $30,000 claimers to its menu on Sunday, and that day’s fourth and twelfth feature races will be $13,000 claiming handicap paces for horses valued from $25,000 to $30,000. Sunday’s action starts at 12:40; the track is on its fall schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 in addition to the Sunday 12:40 program. Program pages are or will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.